The Auto Fanatic

Cerritos Z Meet Pics - July 2018 Edition

2018-07-08T15:07:00.001-07:00

SoCal Honda Fits & Friends - 4 Year Anniversary Meet Pics

2017-11-12T16:20:00.004-08:00

I can't believe it's been 4 years since we started this meet! We decided to do something different this month and meet at my friends L&L Hawaiian BBQ instead of our normal meet spot.

Enjoy the pics!

Pioneer 6000-NEX Navigation Unit w Apple Carplay Integration

2014-09-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

After having such a good experience with the Pioneer AVIC-D3 in my 350z, I decided to upgrade the head unit in my Honda Fit project to the Pioneer 6000-NEX.

http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Car/GPS-Navigation/AVIC-6000NEX

The unit has the capability to be upgraded to Apple's Carplay once it becomes available (most likely later in the year) but has a full Apple Ipod integration and can play music as well through your Bluetooth connection.

What I ended up purchasing consisted of the following:

Pioneer 6000-NEX head unit

Metra Double-Din Kit

Metra 70-1729 wiring harness

Metra 40 HD-10 Honda specific Antenna adaptor

Final installed pics with the home screen options

Navigation screen

AV options menu

Full phone integration including Siri hands-free

Dial screen with the phone integration

The real reason why I wanted this unit, is the fact that it provides real-time traffic updates and reroutes

It also has HD radio already installed in the unit without having to buy any adaptor

Bluetooth audio allows you to stream your audio files but I am now just using a dedicated Ipod for everything since I have noticed it is a better quality audio

Full Ipod integration including playlists, artist and album info

This is where I ended up mounting the bluetooth wired mic, I will end up replacing this install for one that is more flush

I ended up removing the OEM USB mount and instead snaked the Pioneer USB through that location. I also ended up mounting the Navigation Antenna so that it could be a cleaner overall install.

A'PEXi - Smart Accel Throttle Controller

2014-08-26T21:57:00.003-07:00

I was able to take a ride in Jeff from Micro-Image's new Scion IQ and was impressed with his APEXi throttle controller's ease of use in both Eco and Boost modes. He was able to order a controller for me and I really have enjoyed using this product for the past few weeks.

Here are the pics of the product and how I installed it on my 2010 Honda Fit Sport

Here is a photo of what you get with the kit (Control Unit, toggle switch, directions, and Throttle linkage)

I removed the Fuse panel to determine what kind of installation I could work with and realized I had a good amount of space to mount the box

First thing I did was uninstall the OEM throttle and placed the APEXi cable between the two connections

As you can see there was quite a bit of extra wiring that I tucked behind the carpet to hide

I was then able to place the control box on an empty section of the panel (affixed with some double-sided tape)

I then focused my attention on how I was going to mount the controller switch, that is when I realized the fuse cover has a hole at the bottom which the cabling could run through

Then I remounted the Fuse box and checked all my clearances

Success!

Matches the interior well

Final setup, works really well and is pretty subtle!

1 Year Anniversary with the Panda - Engine & Suspension Updates to Celebrate!

2014-06-02T16:19:00.000-07:00

May was my one year anniversary for the Panda and I was able to purchase some items to celebrate.

Starting out with an unassuming box, straight from Japan

Cusco strut bar!

Injen black intake

It's like Christmas morning!

Last but not least, Progress RSB

Engine Cowl removed and bar installed

Center mount of the strut bar

Left mount

Cusco!

Finally with all the parts installed. This now completes my engine section of my build

Mugen Oil Cap, Mugen Radiator Cap, Mugen reservoir cover, Injen Intake, Cusco strut bar. I also took the opportunity to wash the engine bay yesterday so I am very happy with the overall outcome!

Special NISMO Premiere at ZDayz - Teaser

2014-05-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

Nissan and NISMO have teased a photo of a Premiere at this years ZDay's convention.

We will just have to wait and see what the final product looks like but we have the teaser photo and a spy photo taken from a person attending the event while the vehicle was being unloaded.

SoCal Fits & Friends Monthly Meet Photos - May Edition

2014-05-11T21:42:00.002-07:00

This was another successful meet with a great turnout and even a few guys were able to attend from San Diego. Hopefully we can keep this turnout going forward and even add a few more cars next month.

Pretty good turnout for a Saturday night in May, was still chilly believe it or not!

Starting out with Kenny's Fit, can't wait to see what he has in store since he has a new set of Coils already ready for his build.

Nice to see Ron again, two meets in a row!

Always nice to see Mike's Note, back to stock for the upcoming Tanabe R&D day

Yours truly, looking lower since I parked on the opposite side of the parking lot this meet lol

Erik and his clean setup, he had a new wing that I neglected to get a photo of, (fail on my part)

Nice to see Zuriel's Fit with the recently re-wrapped roof in gloss black

Good to see Kevin after an absence for a few meets

Also glad to see my fellow photog Max and his clean TW. Such a classic setup on RPF1's

Rocco drove all the way out from San Diego with his really nice setup GD on Volk RE30's, this looked really good!

Tony was able to join us with his Veloster, was the first time I really got to see it in person and I really liked the overall package.

Nice to see Eric from my Z meet able to attend this meet with his Miata!

Jeff was able to bring out his GD that he has had for awhile and has really kept it in great condition

Nice to see Juan, he of course is on another set of taillights but I forgot to photograph them (doh!)

Good to see Luis again after he was able to attend our last meet with his cool Versa.

Nice to see Ron again, he was able to Plast-dip his wheels since the last time I saw his car.

Good to see Don again, looks like he took off his hood vinyl which I just noticed lol

Another member all the way from San Diego, really classy setup

Good to see Genji for a moment, his setup is so unique!

Andrew also was able to make an appearance, definitely one of my favorite setups

Last but not least, Mike and his clean G35 were able to make an appearance, such a classy setup!

SoCal Monthly Cerritos Z Meet - Diversity Edition

2014-05-07T10:28:00.002-07:00

This meet was different than most of our meets this year because (1) it was actually warm at night and (2) some friends of mine from the Rotary were able to host their monthly meet alongside us which made for a great divesity of cars.

Starting out with Will's Z and his brand new Enkei's!

I really love the look of aggressive fitting black wheels (everyone who knows me knows this!)

Andy was able to make an appearance with his really nice M3 on TE-37 SL's!

Kyle has now made it two meets in a row that he was in attendance

This month his Z was sporting a new set of Red Akebono calipers to go along with the 2-piece rotors that he had last month

Rear brakes and wheels are flawless

I got a quick snap of Roberts car right before he left, he made the drive out from BFE and it was good to see him for a moment

Always good to see the Godfather in attendance

This was a really nice FC that I hadn't seen before, this is my favorite generation of RX's

This was a new attendee, Gun and his clean silver Z on SSR Type-C's

Regular attendee and his Z32 roadster

You can always tell it's Haris's car since he refuses to back in while parking lol!

New attendee with a really cool setup, great paint color too!

Michael with his 40th on Meisters, couldn't get a good shot since he was parked in the shadows

This was a cool Miata, I wish I would have snapped more pics of it

I haven't seen Jeffrey's RX-8 in a few months but I finally got to snap some pics of it by itself and took full advantage

He has a great theme going for his car without going too far over the top like some builds I see

Great combination of white Work wheels and aggressive rotors

I haven't seen Eugene's FD in awhile, I was glad I could snap a pic of it though!

New attendee with her 370z, definitely a unique look

I was also able to get some pics of Joe's really clean S2k on Regamasters, this things was really cool

If Darth Vader drove an S2k, this is what it would look like. I really like the overall execution. Notice the Spoon dolphin-tip exhaust!

CJ was another new attendee who brought out his near-new BRZ with the leather seat package. I really liked it!

Good to see Peter make another appearance all the way from Oxnard

I haven't seen Miguel's car in a few months, forgot to take a look at his new tires that I helped him order (darn!)

Joe and his award-winning Z32 made another appearance

I never get tired of seeing Andrew's Z, just realized how low he has it sitting!

Those of you that know me also know I am a big fan of wagon's. Jonny was able to bring out his Legacy wagon and I was really impressed with this platform

He has big plans for the car and hopefully I wil be able to see it come together as his build progresses

This was the first time that I actually got to shoot Brandon's car even though I have seen him all over the city lol

It was nice talking to Alfredo and I was glad I was able to take a shot of his beautiful Z. I am excited to see what he ends up doing to it after what he shared to me he had done with his Civic Si prior.

I spent nearly the entire day with Brian and almost forgot to snap a photo of his car before he left

Finally got a good angle with Shawns new wheels, I am jealous of the fitment and can't wait until he installs his new goodies that he has planned

Last but not least, my Z. This angle makes me look really slammed

SoCal Monthly Fits & Friends Meet - Spring Edition

2014-04-21T19:32:00.004-07:00

This is our fifth or sixth occurence since we have been hosting this meet in Cerritos and I was happy to see some new faces and some pretty cool setups.

There were also a few different platforms that attended and hopefully going forward there will be a bigger variety of cars. GD and GE Fits, several Versa and Versa Note's and even a pretty cool Accord showed up.

Enjoy the pics!

Starting out with one of the most famous SoCal Fit's, Note and his Race-spec GE8

Such a cool steering wheel, DO WANT!

Massive Rotora brakes and SSR wheels, what a great combo

Carbon caps on his MS1's

J's tails!

Such an aggressive stance and overall look

Loved the wing, Note told me it was based on a Mugen concept

Chris' cool Versa hatch, you do not see very many of these on the road

Cool front grille too

Good overall execution

Eric finally got a chance to bring out his GD Fit, this was the first Red GD I have seen and love the color

Mike's Note which will be going back to Tanabe soon so he is back on stock wheels for the time being

I hadn't seen Ron since one of our early meets, his GD was looking good

Stance looked good

Erik brought out his car again, fresh with repainted tips for his Mugen rear

He also added a JDP front lip which looked good and matched his setup well

Yours truly

Good to see Kenny again, Fit was looking clean

Luis is a new attendee that Mike invited from the Versa forum, he was frustrated with the lack of upgrades available for his platform which I can definitely understand

Mike normally brings his G35 to our Z meet but it was cool to see him in his Accord on TSW's

Don's cool base GE with his uniquely modded hood

Wheel color and car color looked good

Another cool base with a great set of wheels

Always good to see Jason and his cool Turbo'd GD!

Haven't seen this car in awhile, was able to shoot the best angle of it :)

Another cool GD, loving the personalized plate!

This color was gorgeous in person, really liked the overall execution

Wheels went really well with the whole theme

Vin and his baller E-class!

Genji was able to attend the meet for the first time and he had some really cool mods, notice the vinyl on the side windows

Different colored spoiler was a nice touch!

SoCal Centrally Located Meet - First Meet of Spring 2014

2014-04-09T21:10:00.001-07:00

This was another great meet with a really strong turnout, I wasn't able to get a photo of everyone's car but I did get quite a few.

Starting off with Arnel's gorgeous Z32 which I haven't seen for a few months

Scott was able to attend this meet and just as I was snapping a photo of his car Henry had to walk into the photo!

Brian and his Z made another appearance

Mikey also made an appearance like always

I feel like I haven't seen Andrew's car in a few meets, was glad to see it again

Another Andrew's cool Z33, sad to see he wants to sell it

Ray with his recently added tint

Michael's clean 40th on Meisters!

New attendee and his custom painted Z34 with Zele aero, gorgeous!

El Cubano made another appearance

Eric made a return to the meet with this cool little NA2 Miata!

Another person I haven't seen in a few months, Kyle with his gorgeous NISMO!

This was a cool color Z32 that parked next to me

My Z with recently redone front window tint and roof vinyl

Genaro and his Z, still looking just as good as the first time I had seen it.

"Mako" and his dope NISMO-themed Z34!

Last but not least Peter and his still new looking Z, I am jealous of the cleanliness!

Mugen Additions for the Panda

2014-02-28T10:21:00.002-08:00

As I approach nearly a year of ownership with my 2010 Honda Fit I was able to add a few Mugen goodies in order to refresh the look of the car

Here are some pics of how she sits as of today!

Complete with all of my new additions, my Mugen grille, Mugen mirror cover, EZ-Lip, and gloss black vinyl roof

Closeup of the Mugen grille

Rear shot with my LED rear taillights and also another view of my gloss black roof from the rear

Last but not least, after almost a year my SSR Type-F's are still looking nearly brand new!

SoCal Monthly Fit Meet - February Edition

2014-02-09T16:39:00.002-08:00

We held our second meet for 2014 in Cerritos last night and although we had a smaller turnout then normal, those of us that attended still had a good time.

Enjoy the pics and witty commentary below!

Starting off with Erik's Fit with newly added Mugen rear, looking good as always

Mugen rear looked good on his setup

Another angle with more of his mods; antenna mod, painted rear garnish and emblems

Andy was visiting from Las Vegas and was able to join us for the evening

Kevin's really nice GD Fit on white Buddy Clubs

Really liked this setup overall, very cleanly executed

Jason showed up with Andrew in his clean coupe

Mike and his Note with recently added tint!

35% front and 20% rear, looking good

Yours truly, with some of my recent mods; Mugen front grille, DIY lip, and gloss black roof

Closeup of my Mugen grille and Mugen mirror cover

Andrew's setup with recently added red H emblem

Last but not least, Ron was able to make another appearance with his great colored Fit!

SoCal Centrally Located Monthly Meet - Chinese New Year Edition

2014-02-02T13:11:00.002-08:00

It's been awhile since I uploaded photos from this meet to my blog but I will be doing this going forward like month's past.

We again had a great turnout and everyone had a good time, enjoy the photos!

Shawn with his newly added SSR Type-F's

Another angle, loving this look on his car!

Yours truly, this is my favorite angle of my car for sure

Brian's NISMO, looking good as always.

Paul's new GT-R, looked good in person

Random group of girls showed up and took photos with a few of the cars, it was hilarious!

Peter's car, looking good and still very new

Erik's G sedan, first time I had seen it but I really like what he did with it

Brent aka "Fancy Pants", I love this color!

Ian no longer has his RX-8 but he brought out his Dad's RX-7

Brian, looking dirty but still good lol

Mike's Fairlady, fresh from his tour of SoCal for the day. Cars & Coffee, Peterson Museum, Mt Wilson, then Cerritos!

Henry looking clean as always

The Godfather, another meet staple

Always nice to see Malko's Z, I am jealous of this color

Robert made another appearance, all the way from BFE!

I have always been a big fan of Rafael's car and it was nice to see it after a several month absence

Rays Z with newly added tint

Will's Z, looking simple and good

Peter refused to park correctly so this was the only shot I had of his car. Notice his new ARC exhaust

Dana's Z looking good with her newly repainted wheels

Nice to see Sal's car again

This vert was impressive, very clean

Last but not least, Edgar's Z

Status Update - Project Panda

2014-01-18T17:35:00.001-08:00

It's been awhile since I made an update for my other project car; my Honda Fit.

Here are the some recent pics and info of what I've been up to.

Since my last update, I have added 5mm spacers in the front, SSR stickers, a new hood deflector and as of today a new DIY front lip

Frontal shot of the new lip I added today, it's actually garage door seal but I think it does a good job of protecting the front bumper. You can also see my a better pic of my hood deflector

Hardest part of installing this front lip was cutting the edges and making sure that it had enough material to stay planted.

In the rear of the car I added LED taillights, an SSR license plate and as most recently a new Blox shorty antenna.

Closeup of the lip, I am happy with the look of it so far.

Further away shot of the front end, I think this is a nice compromise to me adding a longer front lip.

Spotlight - Kyle's Boosted Fit with Ings+1 Aero

2014-01-12T15:57:00.002-08:00

At our monthly Fit meet I had a chance to meet Kyle and his boosted Fit. It was a really nice setup with an authentic Ings+1 aero, Kraftwerks SC, rear disc brakes, and custom interior.

This setup definitely deserves it's own spotlight

The exterior is pretty rare, never seen another person with the full Ings+1 aero

Notice the large opening and canards, really nice combination

Notice the rear bumper with the really nice integrated diffuser

Closeup of those cool canards

Also rare side mirrors with indicators

Suede dash with integrated gauges, pretty cool!

Nice mix of carbon fiber and suede along with a cool Mugen steering wheel as well.

-W

SoCal Japanese Nostalgic Car Meet - Last Meet of 2013

2013-12-22T13:43:00.004-08:00

Friday, December 13th was our last Japanese Nostalgic Car meet for 2013.

I was notified pretty late in the day that there would be another event held the same night as our meet so we were a tad cramped into the corner of the parking lot but I believe everyone still had a nice time.

Enjoy the pics!

First up was a former attendee with his 2JZ powered Hilux

He is running quite a cool setup with TE37V's and Project Mu brakes

There is alot of custom work in that engine bay, quite impressive!

Miguel brought out his Wagon, and was selling quite a few rare Hot Wheels as well

There was a cool wagon parked next him

Another cool 510 was parked a few spaces away

Some unique products in the engine bay, very cool setup

Another regular attendee

Good to see Mike again

Good see this Corolla again

Meet attendee all the way from Washington who was in attendance with his wife

Chris's Z, pretty unique setup

I haven't seen Royce's car since I used to attend the L&L RX-7 meets in Gardena but it looked good as always

I really like the First-gen RX-7's, don't be surprised to see me in one in the future

Classic set of HRE's

Great looking engine bay too with his RX-7

Attendee that arrived with Royce, just noticed that he was running different wheels front and back

Very clean RX-7 that also came, but in a very good original spec

The other attendee was Washington, very clean wagon

Armando brought out his SVX again, looking good as well.

I don't recall seeing this RX-4 prior but it looked good in person

Matte black 510 that rolled in later in the evening and made a short appearance. I can dig it!

That's it for 2013, see everyone in 2014!

-W

SoCal Japanese Nostalgic Car Monthly Meet - November Edition

2013-11-28T14:03:00.002-08:00

We hosted another Japanese Nostalgic Car meet at the Bob's Big Boy in Downey. Overall attendance was slightly down due to SEMA but there was still a good turnout for a November night.

Enjoy the pics!

Starting off with a car that I have never seen before and really enjoyed

Straight out of Japan, a Daihatsu Hijet!

Sitting on a set of classic SSR MKII's

Haha I love this sticker!

I have shot this car several times in the past and finally got to catchup to the owner of the car Uri

He has owned the car since new and has taken great care of it, it truly is a time capsule from the 80's

Checkout that front end with the lights and grille, they don't make cars like this anymore!

Engine looked and ran still good after all these years!

Mike is a regular fixture of the JDM Mondays meet and it's good to see him here too

We had a little extra time and decided to take some artsy shots to highlight his little Datsun.

Notice the sideways radio, such an interesting design for making something work in such a small car

Such a nice rear end, I love the little lights and chrome bumpers

Badass Corolla wagon, I have never seen it before but I like it!

Second time in a row seeing this Corolla, I really like it and I hardly see this model nowadays

Another cool car I hadn't seen before, definitely embracing the aggressive bosuku style that is so popular in Japan

I have captured this Corolla several times and it never gets old

Nice wheel and tire setup on this older accord

Good to see this car in attendance again

Aggressive wheel combo, could use some more camber and lower ride height but I like where it is going

This was a cool wagon, that skull decal on the rear was actually a really trick LED

Love this setup, very aggressive

Nice 86 coupe, don't recall seeing this one before

Arnel's badass Z, this is my favorite Z32 from any of our local guys

Armando brought out his RX-8 after brining his RX-4 for the last meet

Gangster smart car

This thing was so cool, I was digging the hood vinyl and overall color of the car!

Godzilla Gets Updated - The 2015 Nissan GT-R NISMO Edition

2013-11-23T14:50:00.005-08:00

The final version of the R35 GT-R has been released and it's a beauty.

NISMO (Nissan Motorsports) had a strong influence in this version and it has made a big splash

I love the use of gloss black/carbon fiber accents

Massive wing but it works with this car, wow look at all that carbon fiber used on the rear bumper

Looks even better in white

Notice the use of red accents, some think it's too much but I like it

Oh wow the wing has alot of detail

Closeup of the rear bumper, even more red accents

I love these wheels!

Look at all that tasty carbon!

Wow, love the suede steering wheel and carbon fiber accents on the tach

NISMO Badging throughout including the interior

The heart of the beast

Bob's Big Boy Japanese Nostalgic Car Meet - October 2013 Edition

2013-10-13T15:54:00.001-07:00

We held our third JNC meet at Bob's Big Boy in Downey this past Friday and had a great turnout. Hopefully we can get this level of attendance going forward, I know everyone had a great time.

Here are my pics that I took:

Starting off with a very cool Corolla

Which was LS-powered!

Nice to see Marco from the SR20 Store in attendance with this super clean S30

Which is of course RB-powered

There was also a nice group of 510's that attended, this one on a set of Enkei's

This one was really cool, loving the graphics

I really love this setup, I would definitely do the same if I had a 510

I don't recall seeing this car ever before but I am digging the front bumper and fenders

Great original-spec Z, I really like the color even though others might

Really aggressive setup on this 510

Another attendee from the old Torrance meet, glad to see he made his way over to Downey

Armando attended our first meet in Downey and for this meet he showed up with his recent purchase, a Mazda RX-4

Look at all that space in the engine bay!

Cool IMSA sticker

Nice set of American Racing wheels, but he plans on replacing them

I love the front end on this car, he does plan on removing the LED lights

Really nice Corona wagon, I'm a fan!

Clean Corolla, with a relatively simple setup

Parked next to a clean red one as well.

Nice MR2 on a set of Work Equips

This is Moises who is the manager of the Bob's Big Boy's really nice Bug

Michael and his SR-powered Fairlady made another appearance.

Really nice 510 wagon was parked next to him

Another original Torrance meet attendee, Edwin and his RX-7

The R-Power guys made an appearance as well and were out in force

You can see the tow truck in the background, unfortunately someone had an incident with their car

I don't recall ever seeing this Sedan before, pretty cool!

I am digging this 510, color and wheels are pretty cool

Great looking RX-7 with fender mirrors, pretty cool!

This car was so clean

Cool staggered setup on this RX

I spy an intercooler

Another cool sedan

Ian brought out his RX-8 again, good to see him as always

Regular readers of my blog will recognize this car, Adams Camaro sporting a new set of wheels.

.....and a brand new motor, so clean you could eat off of it!

Bob's Big Boy in Downey- Japanese Nostalgic Car Meet #2 - Fairlady Edition

2013-09-25T00:14:00.002-07:00

This was our second meet at Bob's Big Boy and we had a great and diverse turnout of cars.

For this particular meet we had a nice turnout of Datsun Fairlady's and some cool trucks. Given the turnout we will continue to hold the meet on a monthly basis going forward and hopefully we can continue to get this level of turnout.

Below are my photos and commentary for your viewing pleasure.

Pretty good overall turnout given how close it was to JCCS

Garm's gorgeous car

Loving the wheels and color, just perfect!

Nice touch on the front end with the extra lights, compared to the car below

I really like the grille on this, just noticed it after I processed the photos

Drool-worthy Corolla

On a very tasteful set of Tosco's

I remember seeing this car at Toyotafest, and it was nice to see it at this meet too

Always nice to see Michael's car, I honestly never get tired of looking at it

Such a nice Celica

I love these wheels even if they are OEM

Awesome race-spec 510

I didn't get a front shot of this beautiful Fairlady but the car overall was well put together

Interesting modern-influenced 510, digging the color and wheels!

This was a flawless 510 sitting on a nice set of Volk's and great looking BBK

Eye-spy an intercooler!

Gangster looking Corona

Well this was an awesome swap....

Especially since it was in this rather unassuming truck (other than the great yellow paint)

Looks like someone is going to have a nice 510 Wagon on their hands once this car is finished

Not as many S30's as last meet but nice to see this car in attendance.

I love this truck and I am not afraid to say it!

Another cool truck, I have been really thinking of building one and this meet had plenty of examples to choose from

Nice to see a Corolla Sedan mixing up the normal Coupe's that I see

First time meet attendee in his really nice Civic, I honestly am a big fan of these cars and kick myself for not getting more pics!

First time I have seen this really nice Corolla

Loving the work in the engine bay, very very clean!

Another Corolla Sedan, looking good even in it's original spec

Great to see Arnel and his car in attendance

Jeffrey and his really aggressive RX made another appearance

Another long-time attendee from our old Torrance days, Ian and his clean RX

Loved this NSX, such a timeless design

I brought out my Z for this meet, recently completed with a new front bumper and repainted rear wing

Nice to see Brandon and his badass S-chassis at this meet

Very cool green engine bay, I think it goes well

Last but not least, a very sweet dog that I met at the meet Haruhi (Spring Day), such a diva with her jacket lol

SoCal Centrally Located Meet Photos - 4 Year Anniversary

2013-09-06T15:16:00.004-07:00

I can't believe it's been 4 years since we started this meet but we are still going strong and attendance has been greater than ever.

Hopefully we can keep it going for another four years and considering how people have sold their cars and still attend the meet I don't see why it wouldn't!

Onto the pics of the meet!

Starting out with Mike's SR-powered 1600

I love this little car, he has done such a good job with it

This is probably my favorite angle of the car

Checkout those cool triple-stacked taillights!

SR fits perfectly

Nice to see Vince's classy setup again

Yours truly with my new front bumper still going strong

Mike's Note was definitely an interesting car, looking forward to see what he does with it!

It's always nice to see Rynil and his badass NISMO!

Mark arrived early and I was able to get some shots while the sun was still out

Great angle showing off the C-West hood

Nice touch on his rear diffuser with the Kevlar

Brandon also has an S14 but brought out his G35

Always nice to see Raphael and his Z, I love that I got to see this transform over the last year or so

Oh snap, Endless!

On Rico's NISMO!

I haven't seen this Z34 in awhile but he was previewing his new wheel color, too bad I only had this one good pic of them!

First time attendee, nice to see another Z33 NISMO's since we don't have alot of them attending anymore

Always nice to see Ray and his G35

Only photo I have of this Z34 but it was sitting on a nice set of Works

Another new attendee, I am liking the wheels

Brian and the world famous Z

Of course it would not be a meet without the Godfather

Andrew made a late appearance but I was able to snap a photo!

Haris has become a regular attendee, always nice to see (and hear lol) his Z :-)

I haven't seen Martin's Z in awhile but nice to see his car in attendance

Henry and his tasteful Z made an appearance

Nice to see this Z for the second meet in a row

First time I had seen this Z and it was sitting on a nice set of Works that he had custom painted

Last but not least, my favorite Z32 this time sporting his Works and not his NISMO's

SoCal Japanese Nostalgic Car Meet Photos- Relaunch Edition

2013-08-12T11:52:00.004-07:00

Regular readers of my blog will recall that I am a big fan of classic Japanese cars from my attendance at the Japanese Nostalgic Car meet in Torrance. Unfortunately we were no longer able to meet in Torrance and I was able to move this meet to Downey.

This was our first meet in Downey and I was really happy with the turnout, hopefully we can continue to get such a good turnout going forward.

Starting off with a car that was a regular attendee at the old meet, good to see it in the new location

Cool truck on a set of Sentra Spec-V wheels, digging the color

Another regular attendee of the old meet, with their pretty famous Wagon

So clean, I love this setup

Stickers just fit this car

Armando and his cool Subaru

What a blast from the past

First time attendee Jeff and his nice RX-8 on a clean set of Works

Perfect fitment, low but not excessive

Carlos and his slammed Z made an appearance

Good to see Mike make it out for this meet

This was parked next to Mike, pretty menacing!

I didn't get a clean shot of this earlier in the night so I came back again and took this shot. Great color!

Cool civic, not really my style but I can appreciate it

I have never seen this car before but I love these older Corollas

This was an even cooler Corolla that came with him, so clean

Aariyan and this cool Z made an appearance as well, he added the APR mirrors since I last saw him.

Nice set of SSR's on this wagon, I have been seeing yellow making a comeback in the mod scene and I am glad for it!

This was a really nice setup too

80's era truck on Cadillac wheels, I can dig it

Henry and his NISMO made an appearance

This was a cool MR2

Not really a fan of the wheels but the rest of this car was pretty cool

I had never seen this FC before but it looked pretty cool

Nice to see the R Power guys make it out from East LA. They were regular attendees of the original meet and I always liked seeing their cars

Great wagon, I would love to have one of these!

Another Mazda waron, love the classic wheels too

I spoke to Glenn about his RX-7 and really appreciated how clean and original it was

You have to appreciate how cool the original form of this car is

Period correct wheels are still pretty cool too

I really liked the color too, subtle but classy

I haven't seen Brett in awhile but it was nice to see his Renesis powered RX-3, I seriously love this car

I must have stared at it for 10 minutes, so many little things to see

Good to see Franky and his Z32 in attendance

Nice to see these 80's-era trucks making a comeback

A friend of mine had a very similar one in college, pretty cool to see it again after all these years

Nice to see T again after he made an appearance at our local Z meet

Another buddy of mine, Bima and his 40th Anniversary Z

Joe was also able to attend with this crazy Z32

This car is pretty wild but I like it!

This insane Corolla was at Toyotafest this year and it was good to see it in person again

Lexus V8 powered with a blower, WOW!

Carlos asked me to take a few photos of his car, super aggressive rear-end!

I had him pose in front of the fat kid sign, always makes me laugh to see it lol

This car came in later in the evening, pretty clean

This 610 was sooo cool, I really want one now

Classic set of Equips, they don't make wheels like this anymore!

Nice to see Ian again, his RX was looking good as always

This was another cool wagon, we really had a good turnout of wagons in general!


I had seen this car for the last few years in various places, nice to see it in attendance on this night

Last but not least, my Honda Fit :-)

Project 350Z - Build Completion Photos & Specs

2013-08-08T12:41:00.002-07:00

I have owned my Z for the last 7+ years and have really learned so much from building it into what you see today. Not only have I made a bunch of friends I have also really enjoyed driving this car and look forward to keeping it for as long as I possibly can.

With that being said, I can now safely say that I have achieved everything I could have wanted for this car and can now say that my build is done. I was able to finally get a new front bumper and my rear spoiler was also repainted so all outstanding issues with the car are finally resolved.

Enjoy the pics and I will have a full spec sheet at the end of this post

Starting out with what I always have thought was my favorite angle of my car, it shows off all of the modifications and highlight the rear end

Side profile shot showing my new NISMO V3 style front bumper with V2 canards. I was trying to get the flags to both be showing but gave up lol

The new front bumper is by far the longest bumper I have ever run but it is surprisingly not that low at all which helps for me

Closeup of the front bumper with the canards placed in a similar location that my V2 bumper utilized, I also opted to run a front emblem to allow for definition

My buddies at Mardikian Automotive also gave the car a nice polish so the paint looks really good even for a 9+ year old car

The Potenza RE760's tires are more wide than they are tall so fender clearance is the best on any tire I have run

5 years ago this month I bought my wheels and had them painted, I go out of my way for them to look like this and it tells you that hand washing really pays off

This has also been a favorite angle of mine, shows off my tucked rear bumper and GT-Spec rear tire bar

I love this spoiler even though alot of others don't. You need to have a full exterior to pull it off IMO

You can see my black and silver theme throughout the car, including my emblems

Still plenty of clearance with the rear wheels, mmm shiny!

You can definitely tell this is a much more daily-driver friendly setup

I love this photo, sun was setting and it really shows off the Silverstone

Build Specs:

Engine
Greddy Evo2 exhaust
Stillen HFC's
MOtordyne 5/16th spacer
NISMO Cold Air Intake
Greddy Air Diversion plate
Greddy Strut bar painted dark grey
Engine Cover painted dark grey
EVO-R carbon fiber battery/brake covers
NISMO Oil cap
NISMO radiator Cap
Mobil 1 oil & Oil filter

Wheels & Tires
NISMO LMGT4's 19x8.5 (+25) & 19x9.5 (+30) painted gloss black
Bridgestone Potenza RE760's 245-35-19, 275-35-19
H&R 20mm spacers painted matte black
Muteki black lugs

Brakes
Track edition Brembo Front and Rear Calipers
StopTech slotted rotors
StopTech Street Pads
Stoptech SS lines
Motul Fluid

Exterior
NISMO V3 style front bumper by Extreme Dimensions
NISMO V2 style carbon fiber Canards
NISMO V2 style side skirts
NISMO v1 style rear pieces
NISMO V1 Rear spoiler
NISMO B-pillars
Tucked Rear bumper
Shaved Rear fenders
Gloss black emblems
Gloss black door handles
Gloss black vinyl roof
06+ LED Rear taillights
06+ Front headlights painted matte black w upgraded bulbs and STi lenses
Z-Speed Undertray
Z-Speed V3 undertray extension
NISMO matte black License plate frame
LED License plate lights
30% front tint & 20% rear

Suspension
Eibach Pro-Kit springs
Tokico HP shocks
SPC Rear camber Arms
GT-Spec rear-tie bar
Stillen Swaybars
Powergrid Endlinks
SPL LCA bushings

Interior/Audio
Pioneer AVIC-D3 with navigation antenna and Ipod cable run through cubby
Satin black painted center console
Nissan Europe Brushed aluminum A/C Vent covers
Custom Iphone holder in coin tray
NISMO Floormats

SoCal Centrally Located Meet Photos - Mellow Yellow Edition

2013-08-07T15:36:00.001-07:00

We are approaching our 4-year anniversary and now the turnout has been greater than it ever has been and now we have nearly all years of Z's showing up to the meet and I really love what our little gathering has become.

This should help to explain the title, it was a sight to behold to have 3 generations of yellow Z's in one place

Three different front ends, it is interesting to see how many reflectors and lights the Z32 had

Mark's Z sporting a new front bumper for this meet

Second meet in a row that this GT-R showed up, always a treat for sure

I saw Carlos's Z32 in some of the JNC coverage of Nissan Jam so I was already pretty familiar with the car

Ryan and this black 370z made an appearance, definitely a unique look!

Good to see Eric making a regular appearance now that his car is modded!

This Z owner drove all the way from San Diego for this meet

We don't get very many ZR's, but the Z34 looks nice as a vert

Shawn and his uber-clean Z made an appearance

Always nice to see Genaro's car, so simple yet so clean

Brian and his hella-track Z

Mike brought out his slammed 40th

Franky normally drives a Z32 but brought out his buddies Evo X

Arnel decided to swtich things up and roll in with his Works for this meet instead of his NISMO's

I am a big fan of Elliot's Z32 and I think you should be as well

Nice to spot this 240 after a few months absence

My NISMO V1 brother Leong, showed up with a little surprise

He finally painted and installed his rear diffuser!

Haris and his SC'd Z

Elliot's brother in-law brought out this cool G35, I wish I would have taken more pics of it!

It's not very often that I see a stanced Z32 roadster but this one looked cool

I have seen this car several times before but I dig the color combo!

AJ was just passing through the lot to go to Walmart and ended up staying for the meet, his SC is 2JZ powered and was a beast!

Ceasar drove all the way from Oxnard to attend the meet, I really liked the silver Wilwoods that he was running!

I hadn't seen Johnny in awhile!

I hadn't seen Mike and his Z32 since the JNC meet in Torrance but his car is so clean!

Green just goes well with this car, and his fitment is on point too

I made Matt photo bomb his own car, lol!

Steve finally made a repeat appearance after a long absence, his car was looking good as always

Nice to see Ian and his RX-8 becoming a regular attendee of this meet!

Another person I haven't seen in a long time, Vince and his clean PPW

This was such a nice color on this Z32, it really popped at night

This year Z gets little to no coverage but a child of the 80's like me appreciates them

Always nice to see Henry and his Z, I love the drop!

Who let the G35 in? lol it's ok it's just Ray so we will let him slide

T finally got a chance to attend our meet and was impressed with the turnout, I liked his car and it was the first time I had seen it.

SoCal Centrally Located Meet Photos - Summer 2013 Edition

2013-06-20T23:17:00.001-07:00

Now that the JNC meet in Torrance is no longer, I feel like I hadn't been to a meet in forever.

Lucky for me, my own meet is still going strong and we had a great turnout

Starting out with a nice showing of Z32's, I am so glad they have started to join us for this meet

Arnel's Z looking good as always!

Elliot's and his Z made an appearance as well

This was the seond time that I saw this Z, still looks just as good the second time around too

I hadn't seen this Z32 before but I really like it, again rocking my favorite wheels

First time I had seen this particular Z but I again spotted it a few days later and it looks just as good rolling on the 405 as it does parked

Winner of the best vanity plate of the meet goes to this Z32

I know everyone has RPF1's but I really still like them, they go great on this particular Z32

I haven't seen Rad in forever but his G still looks great

Henry and his Z, looking good as always!

Brian got a few goodies installed since the last time I saw him. Also had the diffuser repainted in gloss black and left a few areas CF, looked pretty good!

Dat hood, nom nom nom nom nom

SBC-approved wing!

Shawn brought out the Z, looked great as always!

I hate that his Z is always so clean, I'm always jealous

Genaro made an appearance as always

Always good to see Paul and his tastefully modded Z

New attendee but long time forum member and his badass G37

Rynil actually made an appearance after a several meet absence

Our first NSX at this meet, got damn it still looked awesome for a 20 year old design

Ryan and his Z, looked just as good as the last time I saw it

Andrew #1 and his washed Z

Andrew #2 and his GTM SC'd 370Z, I love this thing!

Yellow paint is what makes this setup really pop!

Another new attendee and his MB Z

Eric finally brought out his Z, and with several upgrades

Fresh bumper repaint, and a killer set of RE's!

Mark's car, looking great as always

Last but not least, my other car The Panda! :-)